The present invention generally relates to a system for remotely controlling a voice recorder and other electrical accessories in a vehicle. More specifically, the present invention relates to a system for controlling of the recording of a voice message from a remote location in an in-vehicle voice recorder. The present invention is particularly well-suited for use as a vehicle navigation system.
Many different forms of systems have been proposed to provide the driver of a vehicle with information that the driver may use to navigate the vehicle. Some of these navigation systems include the combination of a display device, a GPS receiver, and a database to display to the driver a map upon which the vehicle's current location is displayed. Some such systems allow a vehicle occupant to input a desired destination such that a processor in the system may calculate a proposed route that is subsequently displayed to the user by highlighting the route on the displayed map. Navigation systems that include such displays have several drawbacks. One drawback is that the database used to generate the maps and to calculate the proposed route to the destination, includes only static information. Thus, such information does not take into account dynamic information such as which roads are under construction, subject to high levels of traffic, or are new or no longer in existence. Additionally, to provide sufficient details to the driver, the database must necessarily include an enormous amount of information about each location in which a driver of the vehicle may be expected to drive.
Yet another problem associated with vehicle navigation systems that include displays, is that the drivers must divert their eyes from the road to study the displayed map. Further, given the amount of detail that must be shown in a map to identify street names and the like, along with the vehicle's current location and the proposed route, such displays must be made rather large or otherwise the display will be difficult to read. The larger the display, however, the more of a safety hazard the display becomes, not only because it requires the drivers to continuously divert their eyes to the display, but also because such larger displays are likely to cause injury in the case of an accident.
Some navigation systems have been developed that overcome the above-mentioned problems by providing audible navigational information rather than visual information. One such system transmits a vehicle's current location and desired destination to a central processing center via a wireless communication link. The central processing center then calculates a proposed route based upon information contained in a central database. The central processing system then transmits data to the vehicle's system where the data is stored in memory and subsequently audibly played back to the driver through the use of a rather expensive voice synthesizer. The system may further transmit the navigational information in separate maneuver arms that may be played back to the driver one at a time so that the driver does not need to memorize each of the navigational steps that otherwise would be played all at once. An example of one such system is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,543,789.
The above-noted system, like the navigational systems that calculate a proposed route and display it on a map, require a driver or other vehicle occupant to input a desired destination into the vehicle's system. Thus, such systems require additional keypads or other forms of input devices to allow the driver to input the destination in a form that the system will be able to recognize as an address. Further, the address must be one that is provided in the database for the system to be able to propose a route for reaching that designation. As a result, such systems become fairly complex and expensive while requiring more and more of the limited space provided within the reach of the driver inside the vehicle.
Another problem with the above-noted navigational systems, is that such systems do not allow the users to subsequently ask questions about the proposed route. For example, a driver may wish to inquire about certain landmarks that may appear at an intersection where the driver must make a turn. Because the above navigational systems do not provide for such inquiries, these systems are generally perceived as not being very user-friendly.
To provide for a more user-friendly navigational aid, General Motors Corporation has offered a system known as OnStar.RTM., that enables a driver to press a single switch within the vehicle to be connected via the cellular telephone communication link, to an operator whose sole duty is to assist drivers who may be lost or otherwise need directions to a particular destination. By enabling the driver to establish communication with a live person, the system allows the driver to verbalize the desired destination. Further, the operator may ask additional questions if this destination is not understood. Additionally, the operator may take into account traffic congestion when determining which route to recommend. Further still, the driver may subsequently ask questions pertaining to the recommended route. By providing a recorder in the vehicle, the driver may activate the recorder to record the directions provided by the operator for subsequent playback. Although this type of system solves much of the above-noted problems associated with those systems that do not provide for communication with a live person, this system does not provide for remote control of the in-vehicle recorder by the operator such that the operator may activate and deactivate the recorder. Further, for the driver to subsequently playback the recorded directions, the driver must listen to all the steps that are recorded just to hear any particular portion of the directions. This could become quite a nuisance to the driver if a description of the directions is quite lengthy.
To allow for remote actuation of other electrical accessories in the vehicle using the same communication link used to communicate navigational directions, such systems have utilized cellular modems for modulating and demodulating data communications received from remote locations. The use of such modems requires data to be delivered from a compatible modem. Because not all car owners have compatible modems and computers to communicate with their vehicle, such systems require the owners to speak with an operator each time they wish to remotely lock or unlock their doors or reprogram their vehicle's accessories.